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2 Sheets-Sheefil. R. W. TRAYLOR.

VALVE, VALVE SEAT, 650- NO. 355,487. Patented Jan. 4, .1887.

WITNESSES 71/;

Attorney N- PETERS. Phdo'uthngnpher, Wahinflnn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT \V. TRAYLOR, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA..

VALVE, VALVE-SEAT, 84.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 355,487, dated January4, 1887.

I Application filed Februnry27, 1886. SerialNoJDZAPB. (we model.)

To all whom, it may concern;- I

. Be it knownthat 1, ROBERT W. TRAYLOR,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county ofHenrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Valves, Valve-Seats, &c.; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to valves organized to control the flow of steam,water, &c.

The object of my invention is to provide a valve or valve-seat, or both,.which are impervious to moisture, will resist acids, are not af- Tothis end the invention consists in con-v structing the working orbearing surface of either the valve or the valve-seat of a body of mica.I

It is well known that pure mica is found in the mines in slabs orsheets, and whatever their thickness'may be they are still, strictlyspeaking, sheets, each one composed of an infinite number of thinnersheets or laminae. A sheet of mica, however, as that term is usually employed, is of about the thickness ofbristolboard or card-board; and toprevent misunderstanding I shall in the following description use theterm sheets of mica according to its general acceptation, referring tothicker sheets or pieces as blocks of mica.

It will be understood that in carrying out my invention either sheets orblocks of mica may be used with the same efiect and result, for so longas a sufficiently thick body or mass of mica is obtained it isimmaterial whether .the laminae composing that body are bound togetheror caused to adhere through natural agencies or by mechanical means.

It will be understood that the practical difficulty in the use of micafor valves, valve- In the structures hereinafter described, where blocksor sheets of mica are employed, the tendency of the flat surface todisintegrate is overcome by employing'mainl y the edges of the laminaefor wearing-surfaces, and the tendency of the laminae toward separationunder abrasion of the edges is prevented by the clamping hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view in sectionof a globe-valve, the valve and valve-seat being constructed of sheetsor laminae of mica. Fig. 2 represents the mica-faced valve in elevationand plan View. Fig. 3 represents the mica valve-seat in section and planview. Fig. 4 is a perspective view in section of -a mica cock-case andturning-plug. Fig. 5 illustrates the plug in top plan, elevation, andbottom plan. Fig. dis a plan view of the case.

It will be understood that my invention is applicable to all classes ofvalves in which the valve-opening is closed by a solid valve disk orplug, and to cocks and faucets, and to all classes of steam-enginevalves; in fact, to any .device the purpose of which is to check-or stopthe flow of a liquid or vapor under pressure or otherwise. 7

In practicing my invention, I clamp a block or a number of sheets ofmica tightly, to prevent the fraying or splitting thereof, and work saidmica into the desired form by suitable means.

The mica when suitably shaped,or previous to such shaping, is fixedsecurely at the point where it is to be used, -whether on the end of avalve-stem, as shown at V, Figs. 1 and 2, or within a valve-seat, asshown at S, Figs. 1 and 3.

A, Fig. 1, is the body or case of an ordinary globe-valve, and B thevalve-stem. The end I) of i be turned down to the proper shape and sizeby the means usually employed for dressing or grinding valves.

In making a valve-seat of the character shown in Figs. 1 and 3 I prefer,for convenience of construction, to line an exteriorlythreaded thimble,a, with mica, and afterward secure said thimble within the case A. Thisthimble a is provided at the bottom with an inwardly-proj ectingannulariflange forming a shoulder upon which the mica may be seated, andat the top with a female thread to engage the peripheral thread of ametal ring or follower, a. The mica may be cut into rings beforeinsertion in the thimble,or placed therein in sheets and bored out afterbeing so secured. In either case the ring a should be screwed down verytightly to compress the mica, and the latter dressed by suitable meansto the desired shape and dimensions. 1t will be understood of coursethat the ring a will be of a size to permit the valveto be seateddirectly upon the mica.

The mica valve and valve seat may be used together, or the former may beused in connection with a valve-seat of metal or other substance, andthe latter with any preferred valve.

In the cock-case A (shown in Figs. 4 and 6) the entire plugchamber isformed of mica. The construction may be as shown,the central portion ofthe case being composed entirely of mica sheets clamped tightly togetherby means of the end plates, A, and tie-bolts; or the outer portion ofthe case may be made of metal with a central cavity of sufficient extentto admit of compressing laminae of mica within it in a manner somewhatsimilar to that illustated-in Fig. 3, so that the cock-plug B or theworking portion of it will rotate in 'a mica hearin The cock-plug B iscomposed of disks of mica clamped tightly between the top and the bottomplates, B B, by means of two screwbolts passing on either side of thethrough way or opening.

It will be understood that I do not in this application wish to confinemyself to mere details of construction, as the principle in-' volved inmy invention admits of many modifications in mechanical structure whichwould at once suggest themselves to skilled mechan- 10s.

A facing of mica for valves, valve-seats, cock-plugs,plug-chambers, andsimilar structures possesses advantages over any material known to me,as it is impervious, not liable to fracture, will resist wear, is notcorroded by contact of acids or alkalies, is sufiiciently yielding orelastic to permit of a very tight joint being made without the necessityof the accurate grinding or fitting required in facings of metal, stone,or glass, and can be subjected to extreme changes of temperature withoutappreciable expansion or contraction.

I am aware that a flap valve or gate of mica has been illustrated anddescribed on page 166 of a publication entitled The Plumber and SanitaryHouses, edited by S. S. Hellyer, and published in 1880; but thedescribed valve is composed of a thin sheet of mica adapted only toresist a light pressure, and were the sheet thick enough to resist aheavy pressure the mica would split or fray, as no means has been shownor described by Hellyer to resist this natural tendency. My invention,on the other hand, relates to those valves which have a solid rigid diskor plug adapted to fit upon or within a rigid seat, and I wish itunderstood that I do not claim the device illustrated and described inthe before-mentioned publication.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to make a valve-disk forhydrants of a number of disks of leather; but this I do not claim.

1. A facing or bearing surface for valves, valve-seats, and equivalentstructures, the same consisting of a body of mica clamped tightly toform a solid mass, substantially as before set forth.

2. A valve the bearingsurfacc of which is composed of a body of micaclamped tightly to form a solid unbcnding mass, substantially asdescribed. 4

3. A valve-seat the bearing-surface of which is composed ofmica,substantially as described.

4. A valve the movable contact-surface or grinding-surface of which iscomposed of a body of mica, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT W. TRAYLOR.

Witnesses:

E. L. WHITE, 0. A. NEALE.

